Local Council elections will take place on Thursday 3 May 2018. Voters in Redbridge will be electing 63 Ward Members for the next 4 years. Around 210,000 people are registered to vote at the election in Redbridge. Of these, roughly 28,000 will be voting by post and cannot vote at a polling station. Around 150 electors will be voting by proxy. This means they have appointed someone else (usually a friend or family member) to vote on their behalf, either at their allocated polling station, or by post. Everyone else will be voting at their allocated polling station.

Who can register?

Anyone resident at the address who is a British, Irish, Commonwealth or European Union citizen and is aged 17 or over should register to vote by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need to provide your date of birth and National Insurance Number when you apply to register online. Even though you can register at 17 you will not be eligible to vote until you turn 18. You cannot vote in elections if you are not registered.

Should you require a paper copy of the Invitation to Register Form or have any questions about registration or elections, please telephone our Helpline on 020 8708 7171.

When is the election taking place?

The local elections to elect 63 ward councillors will take place on Thursday 3 May 2018. Polling hours are from 7am to 10pm. The deadline to register for the election is Tuesday 17 April 2018. The deadline to apply to vote by post for the election is 5pm on Wednesday 18 April 2018. The deadline to apply to vote by proxy (you appoint someone else to vote on your behalf) for the election is 5pm on Wednesday 25 April 2018. The count will take place from 10pm on Thursday 3 May 2018. Each ward result will be declared in the early hours of the morning on Friday 4 May 2018 and the results will be displayed on the council’s website.

Using information received from the public, electoral registration officers keep two registers – the electoral register and the open register. The electoral register - lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as detecting crime (eg fraud), calling people for jury service and checking credit applications.

The open register - is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

Can I become a candidate?

To become nominated as a candidate at a local government election, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the Electoral Services office by 4pm on Friday 6 April 2018. This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the Notice of Election published by the Returning Officer on Tuesday 27 March 2018. When completing your consent to nomination form you will be asked to indicate which qualifications you meet. You should indicate on the form all those qualifications that apply to you.

To be able to use this qualification, your name must appear on the register of local government electors for the local authority area you wish to stand in at the time of your nomination and throughout your term of office should you be elected. For more information about becoming a candidate, please visit the Electoral Commision website.

Who can vote on 3 May 2018?

Registered voters who have British, Republic of Ireland, Commonwealth or European Union citizenship can vote in local government elections – except British citizens who are registered as overseas electors.

I don’t know where my polling station is located?

Use the Polling Station Finder, enter the elector’s postcode and provide them with the polling stations. Polling stations close at 10pm!

I’ve lost/didn’t receive my poll card

You don’t need a polling card to vote as long as you are registered. All electors are asked for their name and address at the polling station. Polling station staff will mark the register to show that the elector has been given ballot papers.

Who are the candidates?

Information about all of the ward candidates will be on the website from 4pm on Monday 9 April.

I’ve been sent a postal vote but I want to vote at a polling station

The law does not allow for this. Postal voters needed to have cancelled their postal vote in writing by 5pm on Wednesday 18 April in order to vote at a polling station. The elector will need to find and complete their postal pack and then take it to their nearest polling station (in the ward) as soon as possible. They can also return it to the Town Hall (up to 10pm).

Important -postal votes returned after 10pm will not be counted.

I’ve lost/spoilt my postal vote and need a replacement?

The deadline for replacing lost and spoilt postal votes is 5pm on polling day and no exceptions can be made. As long as the voter’s intention is clear the vote(s) will becounted.

Important - elector must not initial/sign their name against any corrections as this will identify them and invalidate the ballot paper.

When will the results be known?

The count will take place from 10pm on Thursday 3 May. The results will be displayed on the council website.

I’m not registered for this election. How can I make sure I’m correctly registered?

Electoral registration can be completed online www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need to enter your National Insurance number and date of birth when applying. If someone wants a paper form, please contact the Electoral Services Team on 020 8708 7171. The deadline for registering for the local council elections is midnight on Tuesday 17 April 2018.

I want to make a complaint

Complaints can be emailed to electoral.services@redbridge.gov.uk. All emails will be responded to within 3 working days. Callers should be advised to email, look on the website or contact us again after the election for anything which does not need an immediate response on polling day.

Any questions, please call the Electoral Services Team on 020 8708 7171